Older Redistricting Reform news: 2009


Dec 28: Redistricting fix unlikely as proposals stall in Ohio House

COLUMBUS -- "Politics is what keeps something from getting done that almost everyone agrees ought to be done. Thus it appears that Ohio will retain its system of gerrymandering legislative and congressional districts for another decade, even though there is widespread support for finding a new way and the state's impending loss of two congressional districts would seem to make the timing right for reform. Two proposals to change how Ohio draws new districts every 10 years are languishing in the Ohio House. Odds are against either proposal mustering the three-fifths vote needed in the House and Senate by Feb. 3 to put them on the May 4 ballot.... 'Competitive districts tend to create more centrists, and wouldn't they be nice to have in government, because there's something to be said for consensus-building,' said Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action, which has joined the Ohio League of Women Voters as key promoters of redistricting reform.," Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch.

Dec 18: Editorial: House Dems are slackers on redistricting
Franklin County veterans panel should be reined in and made accountable

COLUMBUS -- "Even aside from the budget issue — and the long delay in getting something enacted — the Ohio legislature has been getting a reputation for slowness and inaction.... This is one area in which the Senate has acted, and the House hasn’t. The issue is important because the current system allows the parties to make too many districts unwinnable by one party or the other, thus limiting the power of voters.... Any reform adopted by the legislature would have to go before voters, because the constitution would have to be changed. The schedule for doing that keeps slipping. Sen. Husted has hoped for a ballot issue in the spring. Speaker Budish is now looking at next November," The Columbus Dispatch.

Dec 7: Joe Hallett Commentary: Government sure to improve if we build a better map

COLUMBUS -- "After 35 years of futility, Joan Lawrence has never seen better odds for achieving her career-long objective. Even now, though, they're 50-50 at best, she said last week, 'and that's probably going too far.' Lawrence was the 43-year-old president-elect of the Ohio League of Women Voters in December 1974 when she began working to change the way Ohio draws new districts every 10 years for its members of Congress and the Ohio House and Senate.... The current system, she realized, perpetuated gerrymandering for whichever political party controlled the State Apportionment Board, a five-member body charged with configuring new districts. After each decennial Census count, the party that won two of the three offices of governor, secretary of state and auditor effectively controlled the mapping process,'" Joe Hallett, The Columbus dispatch. Posted Dec 6.

Maps, rules and outcomes of the reditricting competition

Nov 17: MidwestRedistricting.org



CHICAGO -- "Midwest Democracy Network partners are working for accountable, transparent redistricting in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The coming 2010 Census will kick off the next redistricting season, which determines how electoral district lines are drawn and, ultimately, who gets to represent the public in state capitols and Congress. Get a head start on this issue in the Midwest here!," Leah Rush, Midwest democracy Network.

Oct 5: Letter to the Editor: Opportunities await our next secretary of state

COLUMBUS -- "From the chance to continue improvements to our elections system to ensuring legislative and congressional districts that are drawn fairly, the next secretary will be able to continue historic enhancements that were started for the benefit of Ohio's voters.... we also seek to improve Ohio's process of drawing state legislative and congressional districts. The current process is overly partisan. Whoever holds the pen to draw the districts holds absolute power.... At the request of and in conjunction with the League of Women Voters of Ohio, my office held an Ohio Redistricting Competition this year. This public contest tested the viability of a formula, based on objective and quantifiable criteria, to redraw current congressional districts (using the same 2000 election year statistics that were used to draw the current districts). The goal of the competition was to use the formula to create compact and competitive districts," Ohio Secretary of State jennifer Brunner, Newark Advocate. Posted Oct 1.

Redistricting Reform proposal passed by the Ohio Senate

Maps, rules and outcomes of the reditricting competition

Sep 30: Editorial: Ohio must do away with gerrymandering and fix redistricting

COLUMBUS -- "But civic groups, including Ohio Citizen Action and the League of Women Voters of Ohio, support Husted's plan, with some reservations. This spring, the two groups teamed with others, including current Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, to sponsor a contest to encourage different ideas for redistricting. That contest relied on an objective scoring system with criteria including community preservation, competitiveness and fairness. We encourage Democrats and Republicans to work together to come up with a redistricting process that would give voters competitive elections from which to choose their federal and state lawmakers. The current system relies too much on partisan deal-making and gerrymandering schemes," The Morning Journal.

Redistricting Reform proposal passed by the Ohio Senate

Maps, rules and outcomes of the reditricting competition

Sep 29: Editorial: A new drawing board
Ohio lawmakers should offer voters an overhaul of reapportionment system

COLUMBUS -- "The Senate proposal, sponsored by Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, would assign both tasks (Congressional and legislative redistricting) to a seven-member panel consisting of the governor, secretary of state, auditor, House speaker, Senate president and the legislative leaders of the minority party in the House and Senate. A redistricting plan would need the consent of at least two members of the minority party. The latter requirement would allow the minority party to curb the gerrymandering that characterizes the current system. But there are a variety of ways to design a map-drawing system to reduce gerrymandering, and if Democrats, who control the Ohio House, think there are flaws in Husted's plan, they should propose a plan of their own, then work with the Senate to craft a compromise to put before the voters of Ohio," The Columbus Dispatch.

Editorial: Ohio must do away with gerrymandering and fix redistricting
The Morning Journal.

Sep 28: Editorial: Give Ohioans the say on redistricting plan

COLUMBUS -- "It’s time Ohio did something different. The [Ohio Senator Jon] Husted plan isn’t perfect, but he has the support of the Ohio League of Women Voters and Ohio Citizen Action. They say the plan is OK, although they prefer using a stricter criteria for boundaries. The Democrat majority in the Ohio House must give this the debate it deserves. Because this constitutional amendment changes the Apportionment Board, Husted’s plan gives voters the final say on whether they want a new redistricting system or prefer the old one. House Democrats should give Ohioans that opportunity to have the last word," The News Herald.

Redistricting Reform proposal passed by the Ohio Senate

Maps, rules and outcomes of the reditricting competition

Sep 23: Senate expected to OK Husted redistricting plan

COLUMBUS -- "The Ohio Senate on Wednesday, Sept. 23, is expected to approve giving voters a chance to change the way the state draws legislative and congressional districts after each census. Senate Joint Resolution 5 is 'just one step in trying to create a more bipartisan atmosphere so that we can minimize the focus on partisan politics and maximize the focus on the problems and challenges that affect people in their daily lives,' Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, sponsor of the resolution, said on Tuesday.... The plan calls for establishment of a seven-member commission to oversee creation of the districts. Members would include: the governor, secretary of state, auditor, House Speaker, Senate President and the minority leaders of the House and Senate," William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.

Senate to vote on redistricting rules
Jim Siegel, The columbus Dispatch.

Sep 18: Redistricting Reform hearing on Tuesday

COLUMBUS -- "Redistricting reform legislation is receiving another hearing in the Ohio Senate’s State and Local Government and Veteran Affairs Committee. Senate Joint Resolution 5 (SJR 5), sponsored by Ohio Senator Jon Husted (Repubican-Kettering), will receive its fourth hearing on Tuesday, September 22 at 10:00am in the Senate’s South Hearing Room. This committee is chaired by Senator Jim Hughes (Republican-Columbus). The committee notice indicates that SJR 5 is scheduled for a possible vote. This hearing will not include public testimony," Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.

Ohio Citizen Action's testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 5

Jul 8: Redistricting contest proves point

LIMA -- "A contest launched to show drawing common-sense congressional districts is possible proved its point. Partners holding the contest included former and current lawmakers, a political science professor and the Ohio Secretary of State's Office, League of Women Voters of Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action and Common Cause Ohio. Three winners drew Ohio congressional districts that are compact and minimize splitting counties, could be won by people of different political parties and create overall plans that don't favor any one political party," LimaOhio.com.

Redistricting Competition overview

Jul 6: Editorial: Looking for a better way of redrawing political borders

COLUMBUS -- "Finding a more responsible way of redistricting is important now, because Ohio is certain to lose one of its 18 congressional districts following the 2010 census and could lose two. Such losses will only increase the partisanship and rancor in the redistricting process. The redistricting contest, which had the cooperation of the office of Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, showed that it is possible to design a new state map that places a priority on compactness, communities of interest, competitiveness and representational fairness. The three winners in that contest were Tim Clarke, an attorney from Avon; Stuart Wright of Columbus and Mike Fortner of West Chicago, Ill., a Republican state representative and former mayor of West Chicago. They took on the challenge of drawing better maps as an intellectual challenge and a commitment to better government. Ideally, the General Assembly would recognize the wisdom of pursuing their example and would work toward a less partisan alternative to the present practice. If not, the only chance for reform is a daunting one, a referendum pursued by individuals and organizations that believe Ohio deserves a map that looks more like those drawn by the contest participants and less like those drawn in Columbus in recent decades," , Youngstown Vindicator.

Jul 6: Contest sparks debate over shape of 4th Congressional District

MANSFIELD -- "Ohio's 4th Congressional District includes 11 counties and meanders from Richland nearly to the state's western border. Advertisement The boundaries would be much different if some political reformers have their say. The results of a statewide competition to redraw congressional district maps were released last week. The League of Women Voters, Ohio Citizen Action and Common Cause Ohio were among the competition's sponsors....

'Our legislators have served our areas well be having a presence with Mansfield and Richland County offices. Both Congressman (Michael) Oxley and Congressman (Jim) Jordan have and continue to have offices staffed with local representatives,' [Richland County Republican Party Chairman Mark Arnold] said. 'Redistricting is a political process and I support the current methodology. Voters can make their voices heard by voting on those who hold the strings of the process,'" Linda Martz, Mansfield News Journal.

Jun 29: Editorial: Line up for Ohio
Draw improved legislative districts, and the likelihood is, the state will get improved representation

COLUMBUS -- "A recently concluded contest to redraw Ohio's congressional districts didn't attract a flood of entrants. Then again, it didn't need to do so. The academic exercise easily managed to produce revealing evidence of the flaws in the current, highly partisan method. Of 11 plans scored under a set of objective measures aimed at fairness, all beat the district plan actually adopted by the state legislature after the last Census. In other words, almost anything is better that what the state has now. The League of Women Voters of Ohio, Common Cause Ohio, Ohio Citizen Action and others approached Jennifer Brunner, the secretary of state, to sponsor the event, in the pursuit of improved representation. The results, announced Thursday, should push lawmakers and the governor toward changing the ways both legislative and congressional districts are redrawn every decade. Much more is at stake than reflecting new population numbers," Akron Beacon Journal.

Maps, rules and outcomes of the Redistricting Competition

Drawing the Lines in Ohio: A Big Step Forward
Justin Levitt, Brennan Center for Justice.

Drawing the Lines in Ohio: The Devilish Details
Justin Levitt, Brennan Center for Justice.

Drawing the Lines in Ohio: The Structure of the Competition
Justin Levitt, Brennan Center for Justice.

Jun 18: Ohio Redistricting Competition partners announce competition winners

COLUMBUS -- "Today the Ohio Redistricting Competition partners announced the results of the successful Ohio Redistricting Competition, a project years in the making. According to the partners, the competition provides concrete proof that Ohio can rely on an open process based on objective criteria to produce fair legislative districts in Ohio....
The competition was launched in March 2009 by a partnership of organizations and individuals, including Former Republican State Representative Joan Lawrence, The League of Women Voters of Ohio, State Representative Dan Stewart, Professor Richard Gunther - Department of Political Science at The Ohio State University, Ohio Citizen Action, and Common Cause Ohio. After being approached by the partners, Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner agreed to host the process, and to make resources and training available to the public. The competition began on April 10, 2009, and concluded on May 11, 2009.
'A picture’s worth a thousand words. The Ohio Redistricting Competition provides an opportunity for Ohioans to see reform goals, like compactness and competition, put into action' said Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action," Ohio Secretary of State

Redistricting Competition overview

Ohio announces redistricting contest winners
Associated Press.

Jun 29: Editorial: Contest shows real hope for better elections

COLUMBUS -- "How would Ohio’s legislative districts be drawn if politicians didn’t control the process?.... Specifically, reformers — including the League of Women Voters — held a contest to draw congressional districts. Under Ohio’s existing system, districts for the state Legislature are drawn by a commission that is completely controlled by one political party or the other, depending on which party holds what statewide offices at the moment. Meanwhile, congressional districts are drawn by the Legislature and approved by the governor," Dayton Daily News.

May 28: League of Women Voters testimony on Senate Joint Resolution 5: Redistricting



COLUMBUS -- "Any redistricting process should not permit either political party to manipulate the process to gain advantage disproportionate to its strength in the electorate. The process set forth in SJR 5 improves on our current process of one party gerrymandering by providing a division of power between the two major parties in the drawing of districts. The public interest is better served by this division of power, but care must still be taken to assure that the process does not benefit only the two political parties and become a process by which both parties divide the state into a predetermined number of seats that are safe for each party," Ann Henkener, League of Women Voters of Ohio.

Senate Joint Resolution 5
Three-fifths of the members of the Ohio House and 3/5's of the Ohio Senate must vote for a Constitutional Resolution before it goes to a vote of the people.

Apr 24:Last day for signing up for the Redistricting Competition
An interview with a contestant


Mike Jones
COLUMBUS -- "Mike Jones, of the Ohio Coalition of Concerned Black Citizens, is a Redistricting Competition contestant. On April 17, Jones attended a training provided by the Ohio Secretary of State and led by Mark Salling of Cleveland State University. Jones has just begun the competition and has been focusing on compactness of districts, but he is really interested in redistricting reform that includes competition. ‘Redistricting should be done evenly and fairly so that neither party is favored over the other,’ said Jones. He highlighted how the current redistricting system hampers representative democracy. 'The way Columbus in particular was gerrymandered last time made it almost impossible for there to be a Democratic Representative,' Jones said. ‘Mary Jo Kilroy just barely won in her district [U.S. Congressional District 15] last year.’ Ohio’s Republican General Assembly drew the Congressional lines in 2001. Franklin County was broken up into three districts with each of these districts encompassing suburban and Republican voters. Jones actively campaigned for Reform Ohio Now in 2005 and is a former member of Ohio Citizen Action’s Board," Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.

Apr 23: Redistricting discussion: It's time to stop rigging the system

COLUMBUS -- "Senator Jon Husted (R-Kettering) and Catherine Turcer, the director of Ohio Citizen Action’s Money in Politics Project appeared on The State of Ohio this past weekend. Karen Kasler, host of this Ohio Public Television program, led a lively discussion about redistricting reform and election administration. Senator Husted highlighted his new redistricting resolution and Turcer encouraged viewers to check out the Secretary of State’s redistricting competition, 'I hope that the whole process of participation in this game will make them [the contestants] think about what are the consequences of a system that is actually rigged.'

Catherine Turcer, Director of the Money in Politics Project of Ohio Citizen Action

'Let’s face it,' Senator Husted said during The State of Ohio, 'No one can reasonably suggest that the system we have now is any good.' Kasler posed the question'why now?' Senator Husted responded, 'If we don’t do it now we will be under this system for 10 more years.' The discussion included a rehash of the 'Reform Ohio Now' 2005 ballot battle. Turcer called Husted 'a worthy adversary' during 2005. Husted responded 'My side won but remember that people even on my side of the argument did not defend the current system.' When the conversation turned to bipartisan election administration, Turcer commented 'It’s funny this epiphany that you have had since 2005.' Husted responded 'I came to this by watching the last two election cycles ,'" Ohio Citizen Action.

Apr 23: Brunner offers election reforms

COLUMBUS -- "Ohioans would get more places to cast early absentee ballots but would have fewer days to vote under a plan unveiled today by Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Ohio's top elections official also pushed for simplifying provisional voting and voter-identification laws and eliminating special elections in February and August as part of a broad proposal to reform state elections. Brunner issued a 33-page report to Gov. Ted Strickland and the legislature today with a variety of proposed changes developed after two election summits that Brunner convened in December and March," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch.


Blog: Brunner proposes end to most special elections
William Hershey, Dayton Daily News

Apr 22: Jon Husted's Senate Joint Resolution 5 testimony

COLUMBUS -- "'I am presenting to you a proposal that would end the partisan gerrymandering of legislative and congressional districts that allows the politicians to pick the voters rather than allowing the voters to pick their public officials, Since my election to the legislature in 2000, I have yet to find one person that can defend Ohio’s current system of redistricting. Our current method of redistricting is a winner take all system that ranks Ohio as one of the most partisan states in the country. This system has led to partisan control of government and serves as an incentive to work in a partisan manner. I believe the three areas most critical to improving the system are: the composition of the board, the criteria for drawing the districts and the decision making process,'" Jon Husted, R-Kettering

Letter to the Editor: Husted on top of legislation
Toledo Blade

Learn more about gerrymandering, play the redistricting game!
USC Annenberg Center

Sign Upfor the Ohio Secretary of State's redistricting competition

Apr 10: Ohio Redistricting Competition this morning


COLUMBUS -- "There is a training session for the Ohio Redistricting Competition this morning. Check out the training. The Ohio Channel is video-streamed the training," Catherine Turcer, Ohio Citizen Action.

Check out the live feed from the session

Apr 7: Editorial: Husted right on downsizing job he wants

COLUMBUS -- "The secretary of state has two main jobs. One, she — currently Democrat Jennifer Brunner — is the top elections official. County election boards actually administer elections, but Secretary Brunner breaks ties on those boards, and she makes certain election-related decisions that then are applied statewide. Two, she sits on the commission that draws state legislative districts every 10 years.... Now comes Sen. Husted proposing to do away with Jobs 1 and 2," Dayton Daily News.

Bipartisanship in Election Administration: Is There Enough?
Nathan Cemenska, Election Law @ Moritz.

Apr 6: Editorial: Ideal circumstances
GOP, Democrats have incentive to draw unbiased legislative districts

COLUMBUS-- "Ohio's lawmakers and top elected officials should join in a bipartisan effort to improve the way state legislative and congressional districts are redrawn. The reform is long overdue, and the time is right because neither political party has a lock on controlling the State Apportionment Board after the 2010 elections.... The system has produced misshapen legislative districts designed to ensure that as many districts as possible have voting populations tilted toward the party in power. Often the gerrymandering splits towns, counties and other areas of common interest into Robert Vitale, Columbus Dispatch. Published April 5.

Ohio Redistricting Competition
Ohio Secretary of State.

Husted's Senate Joint Resolution 5

Apr 3: Republican Husted says he'd make office nonpartisan

COLUMBUS-- "Former Republican House Speaker Jon Husted officially announced his candidacy yesterday for Ohio secretary of state next year with a promise to change the job he's seeking. 'I may be the first person in Ohio history to run for an office with a plan to eliminate it,' Husted, now a state senator from Kettering, said in announcing his candidacy at Ohio Republican headquarters. Husted, 41, said he wants a 'bipartisan decision-making process leading to nonpartisan outcomes.' He plans to spend the next year developing a model by talking with local elections officials and studying approaches in other states," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch.

“Our primary recommendation is for Ohio to establish greater bipartisan ownership of its statewide election system. Secondarily, the state would be well-served by removing election oversight from the secretary of state’s duties,” [Steven] Huefner [Senior Fellow, Election Law @ Moritz] said. “A bipartisan state election administration committee made up of knowledgeable local election administrators combined with an appointed nonpartisan leader who has stature within the state would go a long way toward improving the system and encouraging local buy-in and trust.” League of Women Voters of Ohio newsletter December 2007.

Apr 3: Ohio GOP eyeing secretary of state office

COLUMBUS-- "Republicans smell blood as a battle between high-profile Democrats to succeed retiring GOP Sen. George Voinovich leaves vulnerable the state office that oversees Ohio elections.... The secretary of state serves on the five-member Ohio Apportionment Board that once a decade redraws legislative districts to address population shifts reflected in the U.S. Census.... The highly partisan process typically benefits the party controlling at least two of three statewide elected offices on that board - governor, secretary of state, and auditor. Democrats now have both the governor's mansion and the secretary of state's office. Republican Auditor Mary Taylor is expected to seek a second term," Jim Provance, Toledo Blade.

Mar 31: Republican proposes switch in how district lines drawn

COLUMBUS-- "Efforts to change the politically charged method of drawing new geographic boundaries for Ohio's state and federal lawmakers appear to be gathering steam. Husted wants the legislature to submit his proposal to voters in November. He consulted with both political parties, the Ohio League of Women Voters, Ohio Citizen Action and other groups before crafting it. Citizen Action's Catherine Turcer called the plan 'a significant improvement over the current process,' saying it would 'remove some of the worst tendencies for partisan gerrymandering.' Turcer said she would prefer that Husted's bill specify that the final three appointees to the commission be persons not 'beholden to legislators,' such as university political scientists," Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch.

Husted unveils plan to change redistricting
William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.

Mar 30: Blog: Husted announces redistricting proposal

COLUMBUS -- "State Rep. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, on Monday, March 30 announced that he plans to introduce a plan to change how Ohio legislative and congressional districts are drawn. It would require voter approval. Husted, a possible candidate for secretary of state in 2010, said the plan would create a “true, bipartisan seven-member commission” to oversee the creation of district boundaries for both state legislative and congressional districts.... Catherine Turcer, director of the Money in Politics project for Ohio Citizen Action, a government reform group, called the proposal 'a significant improvement over the status quo.' She said she would like to see more independence from the three members who are to be appointed by consensus. For example, lobbyists, former legislators and political consultants should not be considered for the spots, Turcer said," William Hershey, Dayton Daily News.

Husted proposes redistricting reform
Joe Hallett, The Columbus Dispatch.

Mar 30: Editorial: Competitive streak
A flurry of plans to improve the way Ohio draws legislative district lines

Akron-- "Brushing aside a long history of lopsided political districts, the product of highly partisan redrawing done after each Census, Ohio's voters rejected a comprehensive reform proposal in 2005. The constitutional amendment would have put an appointed, five-person commission in charge, opened up a competitive process for any citizen or group to submit a plan and required districts to be as closely balanced politically as possible. Fortunately, as the 2010 population update approaches, interest in change isn't dead. There are two proposals percolating in the Ohio Senate. Jennifer Brunner, the secretary of state, also advocates changing current practices. She has yet to advance a specific proposal, although her office is hoping to spark interest by helping to sponsor a contest to imagine more compact, politically competitive districts. (In Northeast Ohio, that shouldn't be hard to do)," Akron Beacon Journal. Posted Mar 25.

Mar 23: Editorial: Political puzzle
Contest could show how to redraw political districts free of party favoritism

COLUMBUS -- "Legislative redistricting in Ohio involves high-tech demographic analysis, in which voting and census figures are crunched to determine how districts will be designed for the next decade. Can any person or group, if given the right computer software and technical assistance, do this specialized work? And can it be done without the political bias of Ohio's current system?... Also sponsoring this project are Ohio Citizen Action, Common Cause, State Rep. Dan Stewart, D-Columbus, and former state Rep. Joan Lawrence, a Republican.... Contest rules require that districts be free of unfair political bias. The other main criteria are compactness of districts, keeping communities intact and competitiveness," The Columbus Dispatch.

Rules of the competition

Mar 23: Blog: Redistricting: Ohio Democrats and Republicans want to change the way legislative districts are drawn, but they don't agree on how to do it

COLUMBUS -- "Politicians with an eye on higher office are energizing the debate over how the state draws legislative boundaries, long manipulated by the party that controls Columbus. Two proposals by Republicans emerged last week, adding to a ongoing push for change from Democratic Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner. Republican State Sen. Kevin Coughlin of Cuyahoga Falls, who's announced a bid for governor, and State Sen. Gary Cates of West Chester introduced a resolution Tuesday to increase the size of the State Apportionment Board, which redraws state legislative districts every 10 years after the Census," Mark Naymik, Cleveland Plain Dealer. Posted Mar 22.

Ohio GOP Senators Want Lines Redrawn
Catherine Turcer of Ohio Citizen Action said the time may finally be ripe for Ohio to pass redistricting reform. She said the intense scrutiny given to recent elections and the fact that Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner will not seek re-election in 2010 put enough variables in play to make a difference, The Seferm Post

Ohio Holds Public Redistricting Competition
Wayne Hanson, Government Technology.

Mar 16: Elections experts want to take the politics out of the way Congressional lines are drawn.


Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau reporter interviews Ohio Representative Dan Stewart (D-Columbus), Linda Lalley, Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Ohio and Catherine Turcer, Director of the Money in Politics Project of Ohio Citizen Action about the citizen's redistricting competition announced at The 2009 Ohio Elections conference.

COLUMBUS -- "The Secretary of State and a voting rights group have come up with a novel idea to deal with an issue that comes up every ten years - how to take the politics out of the process of drawing the boundaries for Congressional districts. Catherine Turcer, Legislative Director with Ohio Citizen Action said: ' what you're getting at is, is there the political will.... One of the seats on the apportianate board is questionable. When you're in the minority, as the Republicans are now, they may be saying oh, wait a second, maybe we really need to be pushing for redistricting reform. Maybe this is actually the perfect time,'" Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau.

Karen Kasler reports (3:07 min.)

Rules of the competition

Mar 16: Ohio congressional district lines put to the test in new contest
Anyone can try drawing boundaries

COLUMBUS -- "The newest competition coming to the state is based on how well you can draw and who Ohio's members of Congress represent. The League of Women Voters of Ohio, working with Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and other partners, announced a "redistricting competition" yesterday to allow anyone to submit plans for how congressional districts should be redrawn. The idea is to show there are viable ways of redistricting to create congressional districts that aren't gerrymandered with crazy contortions designed to benefit a political party," Mark Niquette, The Columbus Dispatch. Posted Mar 13.